Pumping in Pecos River to offset losses for Carlsbad-area water users amid extreme drought

New Mexico state water regulators began pumping water this month from state reservoirs into the Pecos River to account for losses during a devastating drought.

The move was meant to augment water supplies for water users and rights holders along the river, while also maintaining required water deliveries to Texas under a 2003 settlement.

During a public meeting Wednesday, Interstate Stream Commission Pecos River Bureau Chief Hannah Riseley-White said the pumping was needed to account for increasingly scarce freshwater supplies in the southeast region and across New Mexico.

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The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that as of Nov. 19, about 32 percent of New Mexico was under “exceptional” drought conditions — the highest designation that means fire danger increases, no surface water is available for agriculture and large rivers run dry.

Most of Eddy, Lea and Chaves county were under exceptional drought, while about 100 percent of the state was experiencing “severe” drought and 73 percent was designated “extreme” drought.

Riseley-White said the current pumping which began this fall from two well sites in southeast New Mexico owned by the state was exclusively to augment water for the Carlsbad Irrigation District (CID) — the most senior water rights holder on the river — as required by state law when supplies are low.

More:New Mexico pumping into Pecos River to supply Carlsbad water users amid statewide drought

Per a 2003 settlement between the state and the CID, if the state forecasts that the CID’s March water supplies to be less than 50,000 acre feet, it must use its augmentation wells to attempt to make up the difference.

The November forecast showed the CID’s supplies would likely be below 45,000 acre feet, and Riseley-White said it could be even lower come March as drought conditions persist through the winter — up to 10,000 of 12,000 acre feet short — and La Niña conditions could lead to an even drier winter than average.

More:U.S. Supreme Court to hear water case between Texas and NM

“The basin is really dry,” Riseley-White said. “We’re thinking we could be significantly short from that target come March 1.”

The augmentation does not guarantee the CID a certain amount of water, Riseley-Smith said, and helps ensure the CID does not make a priority call which would take water rights from junior water rights holders to make up for the CID’s losses.

Water from the augmentation wells is pumped to the reservoir at Brantley Lake where it is diverted into the Pecos River and delivered to CID members.

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The state’s wellsite at Seven Rivers, which is at Brantley Lake, will account for most of the augmentation and pumping began on Oct. 28 with five wells in operation. As of Nov.17, the commission reported 720 acre feet was delivered from Seven Rivers.

More water will also be sent from a well site at Lake Arthur about 35 miles upstream from Brantley in Chaves County. Deliveries began on Nov. 2 and 80 acre feet were delivered by Nov. 14.

Riseley-White said there was some concern about water evaporating during on its path from Lake Arthur to Brantley.

More:ISC: Intrepid water rights could make or break Pecos River settlement agreement

She said water managers reported evaporative losses could increase from about 7 percent to up to 20 percent.

But she said water is safest from evaporation during the winter when temperatures are lower.

“We are monitoring very closely the losses between Lake Arthur and Brantley,” Riseley-White said. “We may close some valves if they start to come up. The best time to deliver is now during the winter months.”

New Mexico State Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell (R-58), a rancher from Chaves County, demanded regulators ensure evaporative losses from the Lake Arthur wellsite are heavily monitored and mitigated.

More:Eddy, Lincoln, Otero counties included in disaster designation

“I’m very concerned about water being pumped from Lake Arthur to the Pecos River. Are we ensuring the tax payers that that water we’re pumping to the Pecos River is even making it down to Brantley?” she said during the meeting.

“I know there are gauges in place, but I want to make sure we’re not just pumping for the hell of it.”

Ezzell said when the Lake Arthur wells were first drilled there were impacts to area ranchers, and called on the state to ensure that any future pumping from the area into the Pecos would not impact local water supplies before water is sent south.

More:Carlsbad, CID look for new ideas to combat drought

“At those Lake Arthur well sites there were real problems with the drilling of those wells. I assume y’all are making sure that we can get that water out but not impact the farmers and ranchers who are entitled to that water,” she said. “I won’t stand for it. I’m giving notice right now.”

Riseley-White said water managers hoped to keep losses in transport to about 10 to 15 percent at the most, and that if losses spiked valves could be shut off to prevent further losses.

“If we continue to see them come up, we will have to close some of those valves,” she said. “We’ve actually had pretty minimal loss at Lake Arthur. We’re going to keep a close eye on those gauges.”

More:A history of Pecos River water rights fight between New Mexico and Texas

New Mexico State Engineer John D’Antonio said the state was better prepared this year it was during a past drought in 2013 when the CID ultimately made a priority call.

The state reported there was funding to continue pumping until spring 2021, and there are plans and funding requests in place to continue into 2022.

“I know there were some complications in the past. We think we’re different this time and we’re ahead of it,” D’Antonio said. “We want to be responsive. We’re trying to be as responsive as we can as this process moves forward.”

More:Is New Mexico free from drought? Not for ranchers in the southeast

And Riseley-White said the drought conditions could persist through next year and beyond, and water users and regulators must devise new solutions to provide hydrological balance to the river and supplies for its users.

“All of the Pecos basin is designated as being in extreme or exceptional drought. It’s quite alarming and that’s true for the rest of the state as well but particularly for the Pecos. Things are looking very dry,” she said.

“It’s hard to say how long this drought will last. We’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.